What’s the cost of removing rosin?

I’ve been writing about electronic technologies for way longer than I’d like to count, but it’s still an exciting field that always brings something new. I got a real reminder of this during the recent IPC Midwest conference.

I was all set to hear about some technical advances, learning in depth about the technologies that will be used to push electronic technologies forward at their usual rapid evolution. That definitely happened, but I was also surprised how much I heard about politicians.

Legislative bodies never seem to stop thinking of things they want to ban. Rosin is currently in the crosshairs of Canada’s regulators. If they do ban it, almost everyone doing business up north will have to change the way they solder boards.

Whether it’s RoHS, REACH or the U.S. proposals to monitor tin ore coming from the Congo, legislators mandate strict rules, then express surprise when prices go up. We need to let both legislators and the OEMs who buy circuit boards know the costs of these actions. That’s why government relations is important to the industry. Provided with the right information before legislation is enacted, legislators can often be persuaded to make better choices.

Recently in the US, as a direct result of IPC and other industry lobbying, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) ruled that inaccessible electronic components in children’s products will not be subject to the lead limits that were enacted last summer under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). This finding is critical to the electronics industry because electronics manufacturers building children’s products will not need to meet CPSIA lead limits, which are lower than the limits in the European Union Restriction on Hazardous Substances Directive.

Recently, IPC’s Solder Products Value Council and the Environment, Health and Safety Committee have taken the lead on the emerging issues of conflict metals and the proposed rosin ban in Canada.

IPC members can make a difference by participating in government relations. As proven time and time again, one of the best and most effective methods of influencing government officials is through direct member involvement. Simply connecting unique regional ties along with specific issues has tremendous influence on an official.